Drier-heater



Get. 30, 1951 R. R. HUTCHESON 2,573,445

DRIER-HEATER Filed March 26, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET l a -i Z INVENTOR.

Fa y E jfidresalt )ww KM/ Patented Oct. 30, 1951 DRIER-HEATER Ray R.Hutcheson, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to E. A. Laboratories, Inc.,Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 26, 1949,Serial No. 83,651

1' Claim. 1

This invention relates to a structurally and functionally improvedapparatus primarily adapted for hair and other drying purposes, as wellas for generally producing a forced flow of air for ventilation orheating purposes.

Among the objects of the invention are those of producing an extremelycompact apparatus which will involve relatively few parts capable ofeconomical production and ready assemblage to furnish a unitaryapparatus operating over long periods of time with freedom from alldifficulties and which apparatus may be used for numerous diilerentpurposes although it will be especially valuable when employed for hairdrying and where it is desired to direct a blast of heated or unheatedair in a pre-determined direction. V v

With these and other objects in mind, reference is had to the attachedsheets of drawings illustrating one practical embodiment of theinvention and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the complete apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken along the lines 2-2 and inthe direction of the arrows as indicated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional side view of the unit taken along the lines 33 andin the direction of the arrows as also indicated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view taken along the lines 4-! and in thedirection of the arrows as indicated in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the heating unit which forms a part ofthe assembly; and

Fig. 6 is a somewhat schematic view of the wiring circuit which may beembodied in the apparatus.

Referring primarily to Fig. 1 the numeral It indicates a casingpreferably formed of sheet metal and conveniently of rectangularconfiguration such that it may rest upon a supporting surface. The frontand rear ends of this casing are closed by end members II and 12 whichmay be suitably retained in position by securing elements such as l3. Ahandle l4 may be attached to the upper face of easing I0 so that thelatter may readily be transported. The front covering member H ispreferably provided with an apertured grill or discharge member l5. Theside walls of easing [0 may, as especially shown in Fig. 2, be providedwith air-admitting grills l6 conveniently of an ornamental character.

As especially shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4 a motor I6 is disposed withinthe casing 10. This motor is arranged midway of the inlets defined bythe grilled or apertured guards l6. Secured to its shaft H is a member[8 mounting blades to define a blower wheel structure IS. The latter isencircled by a casing 20 having its side walls provided with openings.This assemblage of structure may be supported by a strap or bracketmember 2| having its upper and lower ends secured as at 22 to thecorresponding walls of casing. H1. The blow-er wheel housing 20terminates in a discharge portion 23. An adapter 24 may be suitablysecured to the latter and terminate in line with and within thedischarge grill housing l5. As will be observed, the rear end of theadapter 24 is preferably larger than the discharge end 23 of housing 20.

Suitably supported within the adapter by, for example, brackets 25, is abody 26 convenient-1y of ceramic material. It is preferred that thisbody be cross shaped in section and that its longitudinal edges begrooved as indicated at 21. Within these grooves a resistance 28 isdisposed so that the body of the resistance takes the form of a coil. Afusible link 29 is mounted upon the body 26 and has one of its endsconnected to the resistance 28 substantially midway of the ends of thelatter. The opposite end of this link may be connected to apower-supplying lead 30. The opposite ends of the resistance 28 areconnected to leads 3| and 32.

A second power-supplying lead, 33, is connected with a switch 34provided with a contact from which a lead 35 extends to motor I 6. Asecond lead 36 also extends from this motor and is directly connectedwith the power-supplying lead 30. A lead 31 extends from the sameterminal or contact which supplies leads 35 and is connected with aswitch 38. The latter has contacts 39 and 4!] connected to leads 3| and32 respectively.

Thus, it will be understood that with leads 3!) and 33 connected to asuitable source of power supply, it will primarily be necessary to throwthe mechanism of switch 34 to on position, to close the circuit throughlead 35 which will cause a functioning of motor l6 and an operation ofthe blower wheel. Only at that time is lead 31 energized so that currentmay flow through re sistance coils 28. Normally switch 38 will be in theoff or open position. When it is shifted so that current may flow fromlead 31 to contact 40 and then through lead 32, one-half of theresistance will be energized. When switch 38 is shifted so that currentmay flow from lead 31 also to contact 39 and lead 3|, then both sectionsof the resistance are energized and a maximum degree of heat isgenerated. This will be the unit, then the temperature will build up tothe critical degree and link 29 will fuse. This will interrupt a flow ofcurrent through the supply lead 30 to the resistance and accordingly thelatter will be de-energized. It will be apparent that this result willobtain whether both or only a single section of the resistance areenergized.

In using the apparatus it will be apparent that a blast of air will begenerated by the blower wheel and discharged through the grill or guardhousing l5. Dependingupon the position of the switch 38 this air may beeither cold or warm. When that switch energizes contact 39 and leads 3|,a maximum degree of heat will be generated. When only contact 40 andlead 32 ar energized, then a lower degree of heat will be produced. Asis apparent by having the adapter 24 of larger size than the dischargeend 23 of the housing 20 air flow will be induced directly from thehousing into the adapter. This will create a desirable condition suchthat a' maximum heat exchange and cooling of the resistance will follow.

Thus, among others, the several objects of the invention as specificallyaforenoted are achieved. Obviously numerous changes in construction andrearrangement of the parts might be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit of the invention as defined by the claim.

I claim:

A heating apparatus including in combination a casing, a motor drivenfan within said casing, an intake opening and a discharge opening insaid casing, a rectangular tubular adapter shell adjacent to andextending inwardly from said casing discharge opening, a housingdisposed around said motor driven fan formed with an inlet opening and adischarge portion, said dis charge portion adjacent to and having aslightly smaller cross-section than said tubular adapter shell, a patharound said housing discharge portion for reception of air into saidtubular adapter shell, a cross-shaped body positioned longitudinally ofsaid tubular adapter shell and extending through a major portion of saidshell length, longitudinal edges of said body supported on and adjacentto but spaced from an inner surface of said tubular adapter shell, anelectrical resistance wound into a coil around said cross-shaped bodyand over said longitudinal edges, said coil projecting at saidlongitudinal edges into said air path in 's'aid'shell, and channelsbetween said resistance coil and said body for passing air from saidmotor housing whereby, in addition to air emerging from said dischargeportion of saidhousing flooring beneath said resistance coil, airflowing through said air path and over said elec trical resistance coilWill pass through said tubular adapter shell,

RAY R. HUTCHESON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references'are of record in the file ofthis patent:

' UNITED STATES PAIENIS Number Name Date 815,915 Fallek Mar. 20,19061,594,906 Gross Aug. 3, 1926 1,760,997 ShBltOn June 3, 1930 2,027,605McCord et al Jan. 14, 1936 2,149,689 Smith et al. Mar. 7, 1939 2,311,899Marlowe Feb. 23,- 1943

